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Maynooth University Careers and Employability Service

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ALUMNI MENTORING

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Experience more to complement your degree and future proof your career!

The MU Careers and Employability Service lead the following programmes designed for Undergraduate and Postgraduate MU students looking to develop employability skills and competencies that you need for lifelong learning and future success.

The Alumni Mentoring Programme pairs you with alumni from across a diverse range of sectors (mentors) who offer informed career insights and can help empower you to achieve your career aims.
The Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) offers you the opportunity to secure a six-week paid summer research placement, across a range of disciplines.
Micro Internships offer valuable professional experience where you contribute to defined professional projects alongside your studies – putting into practice your unique talents and knowledge.
The Maynooth University Student Experience (MUSE) Awards recognise your contribution to activities outside your degree, for example, participating in a club or society, volunteering with a community organsiation, working in your local shop and much more!. This Award is an achievement that distinguishes yourself to potential future employers.
Project Live gives you the opportunity to apply what you are learning in the classroom to real-world challenges facing business, community organsiations, and society today. This is embedded within modules so students cannot sign up to it as a programme, but keep an eye out for it in your modules.

Further information will be shared toward the start of the upcoming academic year.

Alumni Mentoring

“I am in a much better position to get myself out into the working world”

Now in its fourth year, the Alumni Mentoring Programme provides a superb opportunity for students to match with an alumni mentor who can offer honest advice and support around the next stages in a student’s career. The goal of the mentoring programme is to give both mentors and mentees the chance to help one another enhance their professional development and to help MU students enhance their employability skills and get equipped for work, life and engaged citizenship.

Why Should You Apply?

The Alumni Mentoring Programme is a great way to gain insights into the graduate labour market and the realities of working in different roles and industries.
Matching will an Alumni Mentor who has been in your shoes at university is a great way to expand your professional network and build your confidence in new settings.
This opportunity will help develop new skills needed in the professional world such as communication, time management and emotional intelligence. It will also give you time to reflect on and expand your transferable skills.
You can use this opportunity towards the MUSE Award application.

Timeline & Commitment

Step 1. Register Your Interest by Friday 20 October by completing a short online form on Careers Connect.
Step 2. Once you register your interest, complete your full application by Friday 3 November.
Step 3. Students who complete steps 1 & 2, will be given access to the mentor data to select their top 5 mentor preferences by Friday 24 November.
Step 4. The MU Careers & Employability team and the MU Alumni team will review preferences and match student mentees with alumni mentors. All students will be contacted by Friday 22 December 2023.
Step 5. Student mentees must attend an orientation workshop on Wednesday 7 February 2024. Here we will give you all the advice and guidance to make the most of your mentoring relationship.
Step 6. Student mentees and alumni mentors will meet 4 times between Feb and 30 June 2024. We will provide an online workbook for you to work on through your mentoring relationship.

*Students are expected to complete all steps laid out and commit fully to the programme.

How to Apply
To be eligible to apply, applicants must be:

Registered students at Maynooth University for the entire duration of the programme.
A penultimate or final year student from any discipline. A small number of places (max 10) are allocated to postgraduate students in the School of Law and Business and School of Law and Criminology.
Engaged and committed for the entire duration of the programme.
Please note, 30% of places on the programme are reserved for students who avail of supports from the Access Office.

Register your interest by Friday 20 October.

The Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research (SPUR)

Maynooth University Student Experience (MUSE) Awards

Micro Internships